The Alberta Labor Relations Board rejected the NHL Players' Association's effort to get the lockout declared illegal in the province, calling the petition an "unhelpful distraction" to current negotiations.

Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers players had filed a petition saying that the NHL didn't follow the proper procedure in declaring a lockout in Alberta.

The NHLPA said players were "obviously disappointed" by the ruling and the union would consider its options.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly praised the board for the "decisive manner" in which it handled the case.

"We are hopeful that this ruling will enable both the league and the NHL Players' Association to focus all of our efforts and energies on negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement in order to get our game and our players back on the ice," Daly said in a statement.

In his ruling, labor board chairman Mark L. Asbell wrote that granting the petition "would be detrimental to the ongoing relationship between the parties and the ability of the league to function properly. The result of such an intervention by this Board would be to effectively remove the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers teams and players from the league-wide collective bargaining process."

He added that ruling for the players would have no impact on the stalemate.

"As the lockout is league-wide, the NHL is not about to schedule, and start, the regular season for two teams. Additionally, the players themselves do not start getting paid until once the regular season starts," Asbell wrote. "They only receive a per diem during training camp. Thus, an order declaring the lockout to be in violation of the Code would have no positive impact on this dispute"

The NHLPA had argued that the league had violated labor by not properly engaging an arbitrator to try to settle the dispute before declaring the lockout.

Asbell ruled, "Even if the technical requirements of the preconditions to lockout in the Code have not been fully met by the NHL in these circumstances, we are satisfied the NHLPA fully understood what was at play and that it understood the NHL would, and did, lock the players out if no agreement was reached. Thus, from a purposive and practical perspective, the provisions had and have been complied with."

The NHLPA still has an active case before Quebec province's labor board on behalf of Montreal Canadiens players. It's scheduled to be heard on Monday.